Lady Lakers ousted in semi-finals

The Nipissing Lakers volleyball teams participated in the Humber Cup as a final tune up before they resume the bulk of the first half regular season schedule.

The Nipissing Lady Lakers completed the round robin by sweeping Algonquin, Cambrian, Durham, Loyalist and splitting with Seneca. The Lady Lakers finished second in pool play one point behind Humber who was perfect throughout round robin play.

The Lady Lakers faced their division rivals the Mohawk Mountaineers and dropped a 2-1 decision in the semi-finals thus ending their tournament.

“We struggled with our consistency this weekend,” said head coach Marc LaRochelle. “Our passing was not to our normal standard all weekend and this trend continued against Mohawk which didn’t allow us to use our speed to our advantage.

“I think will leaned some valuable lessons in this loss and it will certainly motivate us to continue to be better both individually and collectively.”

Left side hitter Stefanie Hancock was named a tournament all-star for her solid play throughout the weekend.

On the men’s side the Lakers split series with Seneca and Cambrian before dropping matches to Durham, Loyalist and Algonquin.

The men finished with a 2-8 record and did not qualify for the playoffs.

"This weekend our youth really showed," said head coach Grant Ross. “We had lots of opportunities but really struggled to score points at key times in matches.

“Although our record was not good, the good news is that we were very competitive against the two semi finalists. The league is balanced this year, particularly in the west. I can’t recall a year like this where teams are so evenly matched and if you don’t come out and execute well, it is going to cost you.”

With the team struggling coach Ross tried different looks to see if he could find some chemistry. Most players received an opportunity to show what they could do.

The Lakers will make a few adjustments this week, and keep working to establish some consistency in their attack.

The Lakers volleyball teams will receive a good test this weekend as the resume their regular season schedule at Fanshawe Saturday and Niagara Sunday.

Submitted to BayToday.ca